ERP Integration: Definition and Guide (2025)

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is the secret of successful e-commerce brands and refers to the software and systems that connect all business processes: finance, manufacturing, supply chain, sales, procurement and others – these processes are tied into a single system by ERP.

A centrally connected ERP is crucial for e-commerce businesses. This guide will walk you through the basics of ERP integration and show you how you can start building your ERP system today.

Definition: ERP integration

An ERP integration connects and synchronizes ERP software with other applications, creating a streamlined experience for collecting, netherlands email list tracking, and analyzing real-time data. This helps automate business processes and improve productivity across the organization. An ERP integration helps you share relevant information quickly and easily between departments.

The most common integration methods for ERP systems include:

• Custom integrations: A company builds its own core integration. Programmers can match the API code of a software with the ERP system they want to integrate with. This method requires technical resources and takes some time.
• Vendor-specific or native integrations: Ready-to-use integrations that allow you to connect specific applications. For example, many tools today connect directly to Shopify. They cover common use cases and usually don’t involve additional subscription costs.
• Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS): A cloud-based solution that builds and deploys integrations. With iPaaS, how to win customer experience today and after a pandemic companies can create workflows that connect cloud-based applications and deploy them without installing or managing hardware.

Ecommerce businesses can use an ERP system to automate the process from order to delivery. For example, if you integrate NetSuite with your Shopify store, you can automatically transfer orders and customer data from Shopify to NetSuite at checkout. You also have the option to use a connector to send information to 3PL partners.

This can help companies fulfill orders faster and speed up website order fulfillment. Without ERP integration, burkina faso leads the company would have to manually update inventory numbers in its ERP system and e-commerce application. As sales volume increases and inventory grows, inefficient and labor-intensive operations are difficult to scale.

Whether you run a B2B, B2C or D2C business, as your business grows, so does the complexity of your operations. Ultimately, you need a more comprehensive solution than disconnected, point-of-sale solutions can provide.

Other e-commerce aspects such as warehouse management, purchasing and supply chain, CRM, fulfillment, and sales and payment information are also integrated into an ERP system.

Reading tip: What is the difference between a merchandise management system and an ERP system ? We’ll show you and give you the best system solutions.

Advantages of ERP integration

Think of your business activities like a running car engine. A look under the hood while the car is running can help you decide if it’s time for maintenance or if you still have 1,000 kilometers to go before your next oil change.

E-commerce companies expect a lot from their system solutions:

ERP integrations help you gain an overview of your business and all the applications running it. They can help track key performance indicators in real time, ensure data integrity, and more. Let’s look at the key benefits of ERP integration:

upgrading existing systems

In today’s competitive business environment, it is especially relevant to implement a modern ERP system. Software purchased years ago may no longer ideally support your company’s business model if your e-commerce brand expands or more internal processes are required. Additionally, if you manage your inventory using a legacy system, it may not cooperate ideally with other systems. This can make it difficult to confirm and plan orders because inventory cannot be planned accurately.

If companies want to gain a competitive advantage , they need access to real-time data. These insights are important if you want to improve the customer experience or optimize your supply chain.

Modern ERP integrations have advanced features that provide analytics to help you optimize inventory management and improve customer satisfaction. Many ERP providers also offer multiple updates per year so you can keep your system constantly updated.